Vacuum containers



' Feb. 5, 1963 Filed lay 17, 1961 l, Lr-:AsLiE-sMn-H 3,076,575

VACUUM CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Hallum FIGA Am ffm JM IN1/mm? Feb. 5,1963 L, LEsLlE-sMlTH 3,076,575

VACUUM CONTAINERS Filed Kay 17. 1961 5 Sheets-Skeet 2 Feb. 5, 1963 L.LESLIE-SMITH VACUUM CONTAINERS 5 Sheets-Sheet '5 Filed May 17. 1961 JMW@IWW-W70@ United States Patent Otice 3,975,575 latented Feb. 5, 19633,076,575 VACUUM CUNTAINERS Laurance Lesbe-Smith, Grosvenor GardensHouse, Grosvenor Gardens, London SW. 1, England Filed May 17, 196.1,Ser. No. 110,709 Cianns priority, application Great Britain May 19, 1960Claims. (Ci. 21S- 13) member the lower end of which engages the openingof the shoulder and the upper end of which lies closely adjacent andaround the neck of the ilask and extends upwardly to form a pouring lip,the pouring lip member serving to hold and locate the mouth of thebottle or iiask.

' Other forms of canister are known in which the pouring lip and theshoulder portions are formed integrally..

Such constructions are convenient particularly when the canister iswholly or partially formed of metal.

Vacuum flasks in the form oi jugs have also been made in which thecontaining jug portion is of a plastic material usually thermo-settingplastic in which the two or more sections comprising the containing jughave been screwed together. This has been accomplished by screwing thetwo sections directly together and usually the threaded portions of thejug carrying the threads are thickened to accommodate the thread andprovide the desirable iiush iinish. Furthermore, the canister itself isthicker in section than necessary. i

When plastics, and in particular thermoplastics, are moulded to formrelatively thin wall mouldings (hereinafter referred to as thin walledmoulding) for example, ot' the order oi 35/1000-8y1000 of an inch thick,it is disadvantageous for technical reasons to form on that mouldingthickened areas, for example thickened annular portions on the marginaledges for taking screw threading or the like.

An object of the present invention is to provide a construction ofcanister for receiving a Vacuum flask bottle and made oli a thin walledmoulding from a plastic for example polystyrene.

According to the present invention there is provided a canister for avacuum ask, the canister including two or more thin walled body membersof a plastic material which are axially positioned to form the canister,the said members being connected at each joint therebetween by acoupling or joint arrangement which serves to connect the two or morebody members in substantially xed axial arrangement.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how to carry thesame into effect reference will now be made to the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIGURE 1 is a part sectional view ot a first constructional form of acanister suitable for a Vacuum liask;

FlGURE 2 is a section taken on the line II-II of FlGURE l;

FiGURE 3 is a fragmentary part section of a canister having a iirstembodiment of a handle construction;

FiGURE 4 schematically illustrates a second embodiment of a handleconstruction for a canister;

FiGURE 5 is a section of a fragmentary pontion to an enlarged scale of amodified joint between two body members of a canister of FIGURE l;

'FIGURE 6 schematically illustrates a canister formed from more than twobody members;

FIGURES 7 to 12 each illustrate a constructional form of a joint betweentwo body members;

FIGURE 1.3 is a section taken on the line II-II of FIGURE 1 showing analternative construction of locating means for the vacuum bottle;

FIGURES 14 and 15 show in plan and section respectively details of oneform of construction of the lower end of the body.

The canister includes two main body members, an upper body member 1 anda lower body member 2 of substantially the same length. As shown inFIGURE 1 the members 1 and 2 are connected in axial relationship by ajointing or coupling member 3. The upper and lower members 1 and 2 areformed by thin Walled mouldings oi a plastic material such aspolypropylene, polythene or polystyrene. The dimensions of the members1, 2 and .'5 are chosen so that a vacuum bottle or flask 4 can belocated therein.

The upper body member 1 is provided with an inwardly directed flange 5which acts as a locating member for a pouring lip unit 6 for thecanister. This pouring lip unit can include sealing rings or skirts forproviding a fluid tight joint between the flask 4 and the upper member1.

The unit 6 is adapted to receive a stopper 7. Conveniently, theconstruction of the stopper .and the lip unit can be in accordance withthe complete speciication of pending U.S.A. patent application No.706,321. Alternatively, the upper end of the upper member 1 can beprovided with screw threads (not shown) into which a suitable stoppercan be screwed.

The upper member 1 is profiled as at 8 so as to take a'cap 9 which isusable as a cup. The cap 9 can be secured to the canister, for example,as a push fit, as a snap-on or spring-on t or by means of a screwthreaded jointing member (not shown) which is secured to the uppermember 1. Preferably the cap '9 is a thin walled plastic moulding.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1 a spring-on t is used, in the formof a rib and slot connection. The

connection includes a peripheral shallow groove or recess 1b formed onthe member 1, and a group of three inwardly directed ribs 11 formed onthe inside of the mouth of the cap 9. Conveniently, the ribs 11 areequi-angularly arranged around the mouth of the cap and are sopositioned that they snap into the recess 1li as soon as they aligntherewith upon stowing the cap.

The bottom of the member 1 is threaded as at 12. The bottom end of thelower member 2 is closed-in to form an integral bottom 13 to thecanister, Whilst the other end thereof is threaded as at 14. Ii desired,the lower end of the lower member 2 could be profiled so as to becapable of receiving a further cap (not shown) l2 are intended to engagecomplementary threaded portions 15 and 16 provided on the member 3. Thecoupling member 3 is provided with a thickened central portion 17 whichlies between the ends 12 and 14 `of the members 1 and 2, thereby toprovide a flush litting decorative centre band which also reinforces themember 3. The member 3 isprovided with internal substantially radiallyor tangentially directed lugs 1S 4or the like which are adapted tolocate and to support resiliently the ask 4 relative to the canistermembers 1, 2 and 3. The member 3 can be made from strip material whichis subsequently deformed into annular form.

It will be seen that the two members 1 and 2 can be connected anddisconnected by a normal screw action without it -being necessary toprovide expensive mouldings having edges of increased thickness in orderto accommodate the screw threading. In other words the screw threadingis formed in the same thickness of wall as the remainder of themoulding.

The above described construction lends itself to the production of acanister having pleasing curved profiles and at the same time permitsthe introduction of a reinforcement midway along the canister forsupporting the ask 4 at one of its most fragile parts.

The coupling member 3 can be conveniently adapted so that it carries orconstitutes means for holding the canister. FIGURE 3 illustrates a iirstembodiment of a handle 20 integrally moulded onto the member 3; Ifdesired the handle 2t) may be sprung or may carry a spring ringer (notshown) which engages with the cap 9 to lock same in its stowed position.Conveniently, the cap can be provided with a projection (not shown)which -is engaged by the handle.

Alternatively, the handle may after assembly of the coupling mem-ber andthe body member be secured permanently or detachably to one body member.Conveniently, the handle member may be tlexibly resilient so as to betemporarily deformed to enter an engaging member in the body.

A T-shaped handle 21 is shown in FIGURE 4, the handle 21 being mouldedintegrally with the member 3.

A finger groove 19 is provided in the central band 17 of the membershown in FIGURE 1. Alternatively, the band 17 can -be knurled to providethe finger grip.

The members 1 and 2 can be provided if desired with external threads 22which are engaged by complementary internally threaded parts 23 on themember 3. This is shown in FIGURE 5.

The canister can be formed from more than two members coupled togetherby a coupling member. A canister construction including two cylindricalthin walled body members 24 and 25, a thin walled shaped top member 26and a cylindrical base member 27 which are connected together bycoupling members is shown in FIG- URE 6.

Various constructions of couplings between the body members or othermembers of the canister are shown in FIGURES 7 to 12.

The coupling shown in FIGURE 7 comprises two parts, one part including acoupling member 28 having an intermediate body 29 and two oppositelyextending cylindrical `ilanges 30 and 31. The ange 30 is permanentlybonded by cementing welding or the like to one of the body members, forexample member 24 of the canister. The other ange 31 is provided with aperipheral recess 32 which is intended to be engaged by a peripheralannular rib 33 projecting from the inner face of an annular member 34which forms the other part of the coupling and which is permanentlybonded to a further thin walled body member, for example the body member25. The engagement of the rib 33 in the recess 32 provides a snap-in orspring-on screw joint which locks the two parts of the joint together.It will be noted that the intermediate body 29 provides an externalsurface which is flush with the outer surfaces of the canister bodymembers 25 and 24.

The joint shown in FIGURE 8 is a two part joint which includes thesnap-in or spring-on feature of the joint of FIGURE 7. The joint ofFIGURE 8 includes a first part formed by an annular element 35permanently bonded by welding, cementing or the like to a canister bodymember such as member 25, the element 35 having an upstanding ange 36with an outwardly directed rib 37. The other part of the joint includesan annular element 38 having a body portion 39 which is permanentlybonded to a canister body member such as the member' 24, and a -iiange4G which extends in prolongation of the body member to which it isbonded. Acircumscribing recess 41 is formed in the flange 4t), the

recess 41 being so positioned that it can be engaged by the rib 37 toform a snap or spring-on joint between the two parts of the joint. Theexternal diameter of the flange 4t) is such that the external surface ofthe flange is ilush with the outer surfaces of the canister bodymembers.

The joint shown in FIGURE 9 includes a cylindrical joint element 42permanently bonded by welding, cementing or the like to a thin walledbody member of a canister so that a portion 43 of the element extends inprolongation of the canister member, the portion 43 being externallythreaded, a second joint element 44 permanently connected by welding,cementing or the like to a further thin walled canister body member sothat a portion of the element extends in prolongation of the furtherbody member, the portion 45 being externally threaded, and a couplingmember 46 which is internally threaded so as to be engageable with thethreads on the portions 43 and 45. The coupling member 46 is dimensionedso as to provide a llush finish with the exterior of the canister bodymembers.

The joint shown in FIGURE l0 includes a cylindrical coupling element 47having a flange 48 which is permanently bonded by welding, cementing orthe like to the inside of the lower end of a canister body member, forexample the member 25. The element 47 has a radially directed rib 49which aligns with the end face of the member 25, and a threaded portion5t) which extends in prolongation of the member 25. The end of thecanister member which is to be attached to the member 25 is internallythreaded so as to be engageable with the threaded portion S0. The jointshown in FIGURE 10 is particularly suitable for the joint between thetop canister member 26 and the member 2S.

FIGURES 11 and 12 illustrate joints which are particularly suitable forattaching the base member 27 to the cylindrical body member 24. Thejoint of FIGURE 11 has an annular member 51 cemented or otherwisesecured to the lower inner marginal portion 52 of the member 24. Themember 51 is provided with an inwardly radially directed peripheral rib53. The outer marginal portion of the base member 27 is cut-away toprovide an annular flange 54 which extends in prolongation of theremainder of the base member 27. A circumferential recess 55 is formedin the flange 53, the recess 55 being intended to be engaged by the rib53 in the manner of a snap-on or spring-on connection.

When the base member 27 is formed by a fiat plate, the base member isprovided with an integral upstanding cylindrical ange 56 which hasformed therein a peripheral recess S7. An internally fitting cylindricalcoupling element 58 is welded, cemented or otherwise secured'to thelowermost end of the canister member 24. The element 58 has an inwardlydirected peripheral rib 59 which is intended to engage with the recess57 provided in the flange 56, so as to produce a spring-on screwconnection.

The coupling members shown in FIGURES 7, 8, 9 and l0 can be adapted toprovide handles or other means for facilitating the handling of thecanister.

Referring to FIGURE 13 there is shown an alternative method of locatingthe flask 4. In this construction instead of having the radial orinclined tins 18 as described in FIGURE 2 the member 3 is moulded toprovide a number of members 60 extending as chords across the internalwall of the coupling member 3. Preferably these chords are so arrangedthat they lie slightly within the circle described by the section of theask 4 so that when the ask 4 is introduced into the assembled casing themembers 69 are forced outwardly and thereby firmly and resiliently gripthe flask 4. In that the vacuum flasks differ very slightly in diameterfrom sample to sample or batch to batch this arrangement ensures thateven a flask of the minimum tolerance is securely gripped by the chordmembers 60. Whilst in the drawing there is shown envases three chordmembers it will be realized that any suitable number of chord membersmay be moulded into the coupling member. Alternatively, the chordmembers may be formed separately and mounted into the coupling member 3by an adhesive or by any other suitable means. Alternatively, or inaddition the chord members or indeed the fm members 118 can be providedin any other part of the casing. For example, the chord members 69 canin addition be mounted inside the shoulder portion of the body so as togrip and assist in centralising the neck portion of the flask. Itdesired these or similar locating means may be positioned as analternative or in addition in the lower end of the body. However, it ispreferred to locate these members on the coupling member for ease otmanufacture and also because when a vacuum flask is accidentally droppedthe aslc itself is more apt to break in the middle than elsewhere if itfalls on its side and resilient support over the intermediate portionwould tend to avoid this breakage.

Referring to FIGURES 14 and 15 there is shown a method of reinforcingthe thin wall moulding of the lower member and at the same timeproviding locating means for receiving the member normally provided forsupporting the bottom of the tlask. integrally moulded in the floor ofthe lower member is a cylindrical ange 61 provided with reinforcing ribs62 radially extending therefrom and terminating substantially at thejunction of the wail with the oor. This provides a reinforcement of thebase ot the casing against fracture due to accidental impact or undueaxial pressure. In addition the cylindrical ilange 6I serves the purposeof locating a spring element 63 which receives the lower end of the askand spring loads the flask against the upper end of the casing.

What I claim is:

1. A canister for a vacuum flask, the said canister comprising at leasttwo thin walled hollow body members formed of a plastic, and an annularcoupling member engageable with each of two adjacent body members, meansfor securing the annular coupling member to one body member, means forsecuring the coupling member to the other body member to thereby securethe adjacent body members together in substantially ixed axialrelationship, the said coupling member having a wall thicknesssubstantially greater than the wall thickness of the body members; andinwardly directed locating elements formed on the inner surface of saidcoupling member for resiliently engaging the peripheral surface of avacuum bottle positioned in said canister thereby to locate andresiliently support the bottle intermediate its length.

2. A canister for a Vacuum flask, the said canister comprising two thinwalled hollow body members and an annular coupling member engageablewith each of the two body members, means for securing the annularcoupling member to one body member, means for securing the couplingmember to the other body member to thereby secure the body memberstogether in substantially fixed axial relationship, the said couplingmember having a wall thickness substantially greater than the wallthickness ot the body members; an outer and an inner peripheral surfaceon said coupling member, the said outer peripheral surface lying betweenand substantially flush with the outer peripheral surfaces of the bodymembers, and the inner surface being formed with inwardly directedlocating elements for resiliently engaging the peripheral surface of avacuum bottle positioned in the canister thereby to locate andresiliently support the bottle intermediate its length.

3. A canister as claimed in claim 2, in which the coupling member isprovided with a carrying handle extending fromI said outer peripheralsurface of the coupling member.

4. A canister as claimed in claim 2, in which the said locating elementscomprise resilient fins extending inwardly of and spaced around theinner peripheral surface of the coupling member.

5. A canister as claimed in claim 2, in which the said locating elementscomprise a plurality of members extending chord-wise across the innerperiphery of the coupling member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,218,036 Altenberg Mar. 6, 1917 2,484,309 Noeth Oct. 11, 1949 2,493,380Bailey Ian. 3, 1950 2,954,888 Bramming Oct. 4, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS1,149,650 France Dec. 30, 1957 1,202,424 France Ian. l1, 1960

1. A CANISTER FOR A VACUUM FLASK, THE SAID CANISTER COMPRISING AT LEASTTWO THIN WALLED HOLLOW BODY MEMBER FORMED OF A PLASTIC, AND AN ANNULARCOUPLING MEMBER ENGAGEABLE WITH EACH OF TWO ADJACENT BODY MEMBERS, MEANSFOR SECURING THE ANNULAR COUPLING MEMBER TO ONE BODY MEMBER, MEANS FORSECURING THE COUPLING MEMBER TO THE OTHER BODY MEMBER TO THEREBY SECURETHE ADJACENT BODY MEMBERS TOGETHER IN SUBSTANTIALLY FIXED AXIALRELATIONSHIP, THE SAID COUPLING MEMBER HAVING A WALL THICKNESSSUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE WALL THICKNESS OF THE